'Hart of Dixie's' Claudia Lee: Meet Lemon's little sis, Magnolia

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We’re really warming up to Lemon (Jaime King) on “Hart of Dixie.” Of course, she’s still shrill, self-righteous, and childish… but we feel for her. She’s trying so hard to do the right thing when it comes to Lavon (Cress Williams), and we can appreciate the damage her mother did, too.

In tonight’s (Nov. 7) spooky episode, we’ll see another side of Lemon when we meet her sister, Magnolia, played by 15-year-old up-and-coming country singer Claudia Lee. Zap2it spoke with Claudia about joining the Breeland family, whether she’ll sing on the show, and the episodes director, “Everwood” star Tom Amandes.

Zap2it: We hear you’re in the middle of a promo tour for your record!

Lee: Yes! I’m in Arkansas right now. So random, but it’s so cool. It’s so beautiful here. I drove through the Ozarks yesterday, and it was so nice.

Zap2it: You’ve got your debut episode of “Hart of Dixie” coming up this week. Tell me a little about Magnolia.

Lee: Well, Magnolia is definitely a Breeland. You can tell it runs through her blood. But she’s a troublemaker. She’s not the typical Southern belle; she’s not prim and proper. She’s a little wild, and she definitely butts heads with her sister Lemon.

Zap2it: Just how volatile is their relationship?

Lee: It’s like any sibling relationship, I think. We fight sometimes, but we really love each other.

Zap2it: Lemon has some issues because of her mom leaving. Is that something Magnolia shares?

Lee: I think it may be something that does effect Magnolia, but I believe that it effects Lemon more. I think Lemon’s been a motherly figure to Magnolia, so Magnolia is affected by it, but not as greatly, because Magnolia has Lemon there to fill that role, whereas Lemon didn’t have anyone.

Zap2it: Did you have fun working with Jaime?

Lee: Oh my gosh! So much fun. I had a blast working with Jaime. Jaime is such an amazing person to work with. She really is someone I really look up to. I’m so thrilled to be able to work with such an amazing actress, such a talented person.

Zap2it: You also got to work with Tom Amandes, who directed this episode. He’s a bit of a WB veteran. What was that like?

Lee: For sure. When I went to the callbacks, I knew I recognized Tom from somewhere, and I know he was on “Everwood” and that he’s done so many amazing projects, but do you know where I remembered him from? “Billboard Dad,” with the Olsen twins. I loved that. I brought that movie everywhere. I told him when we were on set, “I just have to tell you Tom, when I was at the callbacks, I knew you from somewhere, and it instantly hit me, and I thought: ‘Billboard Dad,’ and I’m just so thrilled to be working with the Billboard Dad.” I was joking when I said that, but honestly, I’ve seen that movie so many times. It was like my favorite childhood movie. But working with him – he’s an amazing director and an amazing actor as well. He really understands the point of view of an actor, and he knows how to really talk to them and get his message across really well.

Zap2it: You’ve got an album coming out soon, and a few more episodes coming up. Do you think you’ll ever sing on the show?

Lee: If they’d allow me to sing on the show, I would love to! I think that’d be a really awesome thing to tie in with Magnolia. As you know, the show has a lot of characters with a lot of amazing talents, so I think Magnolia singing would be something that Lemon would embrace. She’d want to flaunt it.

Zap2it: Scott Porter is a singer, too. You should have a karaoke night.

Lee: Seriously! Scott is such a good singer. We were one day sitting in between takes and he started singing and I was like “I never knew you could sing!”

Zap2it: Speaking of Scott, what does Magnolia think of George?

Lee: I think Magnolia really respects George and she really likes George. She’s really excited for her sister and the wedding and everything.